Student Earns MBA and MD at the Same Time

MCPHS graduate Kinza Hussain is pursuing an MBA in Healthcare Management and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Learn how these degrees complement each other.

Kinza Hussain always knew she wanted to work in healthcare so when it was time to look at colleges she knew that Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) was the perfect fit for her. She enrolled in the Medical and Molecular Biology program where she excelled in her courses and participated in clinical and wet laboratory research opportunities in cancer and infectious disease at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the top hospitals in the country, and Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company.

She credits the MCPHS faculty for helping her attain such prestigious research positions as well as preparing her for her next adventure after earning her bachelor's degree—medical school. "My major in Medical and Molecular Biology prepared me well for medical school," says Kinza. "It provided me with a strong foundation in Physiology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Immunology. All of these courses are taught again in medical school with more complex concepts. What helped me the most was having excellent professors at MCPHS that did a spectacular job at teaching the material."

When the opportunity to earn an online master's degree through the MCPHS Advantage Scholarship came up, Hussain jumped at the chance to earn her MBA in Healthcare Management. "The scholarship for alumni was a great opportunity that I had to take advantage of. Especially because I have an interest in the business side of things in healthcare. As a rising physician, I am very interested in holding management positions in hospitals in the future. This degree will help me reach my goals."

We caught up with Kinza during her first year in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program at the University of New England to find out how she manages her time and learn why she feels that "I don't have time" should never be a phrase in one's vocabulary.

Congratulations on being accepted to medical school!

Thank you! I was accepted into the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine. It has been a great experience so far and I am so proud to be a recent MCPHS graduate who now attends medical school.

You started your medical school classes this summer but you also enrolled in the online Healthcare MBA program at MCPHS this fall. What made you decide to do both?

MCPHS was offering the Advantage Scholarship, which would cover 100% of my tuition. No other program would ever offer a student this! If this scholarship had not been an option, I would not have pursued the MBA program as quickly as I did after graduating from MCPHS with my bachelor’s in science. However, I would have pursued an MBA in Healthcare Management later in life after becoming a physician.

I would recommend this scholarship to other MCPHS alumni. It helps students obtain jobs with higher pay in competitive fields and allows these same students to serve their communities with an advanced education that they may have never received without the Advantage Scholarship.

So how do you balance your time between your medical school classes and your MBA classes?

My medical school is almost a 40 hr/week commitment in between attending classes and labs. This leaves little time to indulge in extra-curricular activities or personal priorities. However, I make time for everything. If a professor is giving us breaks during class, I utilize those breaks to reply to emails instead of using my other free time to do this. I do my MBA homework early in the week, so I don't feel stressed right before the due dates for assignments on Thursdays and Sundays.

My courses do overlap; however, I work hard to utilize all the time I have every week. I strongly believe the phrase, “I don’t have time” should be eradicated from everyone’s vocabulary. If you make time for it, you can do it. That might mean waking up earlier, taking a shorter lunch break, or not watching that Netflix show one night to get MBA homework done.

How do you feel having an MBA will benefit you as a physician?

I believe earning an MBA will help me better understand the U.S. healthcare system and attain management positions. My end-goal is to be the chief of the department I work in and having an MBA in Healthcare Management will provide me with the knowledge I need to make a positive impact on our country’s healthcare system.

Do you have a particular specialty in mind?

My long-term goal is to match into residency during my fourth year of medical school in either Emergency Medicine or Anesthesiology.

What advice do you have for young people who are considering a career in healthcare?

Don’t let hard work scare you or discourage you. Everything you put your mind, heart, and effort into will be difficult. If anyone tells you that you cannot do it, ignore them. If a career in healthcare interests you and will make you happy, then no one can stop you. Stay persistent, and you will achieve your goals one day.

Interested in a career in healthcare business? Learn more about our MBA in Healthcare Management.